Electric-terminal clip.



W- E. DOW.

ELECTRIC TERMINAL CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED 00-15. 1907.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909-.

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WILLARD E. DOW, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC-TERMINAL CLIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed October 5,1907. Serial No. 896,017.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, WILLARD E. Dow, a citizen of the United States, "and resident of Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electric-Terminal Clips, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention aims to provide a terminal clip capable of general use, but specially adapted to automobiles and the like, where great vibration is liable to shake the ordinary clip loose. My clip is specially constructed to make it impossible that it should be shaken loose.

The constructional details of the invention will be better explained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the clipin operative position; Fig. 2

is a top plan view t ereof; Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view on the line 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 44, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a plan view of another form; and Fig. 6 is a similar view of still another form.

My clip has for one of its main objects the provision of strong resiliency, whereby the 'jaws are capable of repeated yielding without becoming permanently deflected, and

yet will bite strongly and firmly into the contact post or other device receiving the clip.

Secured to the socket or socket terminal end 1 for holding the cable or insulated wire 2 is a flat piece of metal 3 having an upturned end 4, riveted at 5 to the socket 1, and stamped out at its forward end so as to provide opposite jaws 6, 7, bent angularly at- 8 to provide strong spring action and preferably serrated at their engaging ends as indicated at 9 to give a firmer grip or hold on the 0st or opposite terminal, a usual grooved binding post 10 being indicated in Fig. 1 for receiving the terminal clip. One of the jaws is preferably provided with a projection 11 which acts as a stop to strike against the post 10 and limit the forward movement .of the clip thereover. parts 8 preferably extend obliquely, as indicated in Fig. 3, thereby affording great stiffness, and yet permitting the metal to bend The angularly bent transversely to its width when the jaws are forced into spreading engagement with the binding post. An opening or hole 12 is provided for the terminal wire from the cable 2, and the rivet 5 has a projecting headed end or stud 13 around which the terminal wire may be wound, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby avoiding the necessity of soldering said wire as practiced heretofore. This also affords a quick means of securing and releasing the wire. In Fig. 5 I have shown the internal edges of the parallel sidedjaws 6 and 7 as plain, the serrations being preferable, however, for giving a slightly better grip on the binding post. In Fig. 6, I have shown one jaw 7 serrated and the other jaw 14 standing edgewise and curved, said construction having slightly more resiliency than with the upturned parts 8 alone.

I am aware that the general jaw shape of clip is old, as shown in the patents of Wheeler, No. 368,987, and Smith, No. 318,929, and accordingly, I do not make broad claims, as my invention is limited to the details of improvement set forth in the following claims, although ca able of considerable variation in the embo iment of said details.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

' 1. A terminal clip, comprising opposite jaws connected at their rear ends, separated by a substantially parallel sided gap extending to the rear end of the jaws, the inner edges of the jaws being serrated at their forward ends to provide gripping means for gripping a terminal post, and a stop extending across the gap intermediate the length thereof for limiting the forward movement of the clip on the post.

2. A terminal clip, comprising opposite jaws adapted to embrace a terminal post, said jaws having twisted portions intermediate their length for localizing the resiliency of the clip at said twisted portions.

3. A terminal clip, comprising opposite jaws rigid at their inner meeting ends and approximately flat at their outer ends, and angularly bent between said ends to provide stifi spring action for said outer ends.

4. A terminal clip, comprising opposite jaws rigid at their inner meeting ends and approximately flat at their outer ends, and angularly bent between said ends to provide stiff spring action for said outer ends, one of Q emcee said jaws having a st?) projectin inwardly bent portion, and at least one of said jaws from its inner e go in rout of sai angularly having serrations to afford a firm grip on a bent portion. terminal 0st.

5. A terminal clip, comprising opposite In testimony whereof, I have signed my 5 jaws rigid at their inner meeting ends and name to this specification, in the presence of 15 approximately flat at their outer ends, and two subscribing witnesses.

, angularly bent between said ends to provide WILLARD E. DOW.

stiff sprin action for said outer ends, one of Witnesses: said jaws avin a sto projectin inwardly GEO. H. MAXWELL,

from its inner e go in out of sai angularly M. J. SPALDING. 

